allotment
Americannoun
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the act of allotting.
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a portion or thing allotted; a share granted.
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(in U.S. military use) the portion of pay that an officer or enlisted person authorizes to be paid directly to another person, as a dependent, or an institution, as an insurance company.
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British. a plot of land rented to a gardener.
noun
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the act of allotting; apportionment
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a portion or amount allotted
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a small piece of usually public land rented by an individual for cultivation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of allotment
First recorded in 1565–75; allot + -ment; compare French allotement
Explanation
Say you’re stranded on an island with a group of people and you divide your limited food supply. The portion you each receive is your share, also called your allotment. No fighting over the coconuts! The word allotment shows how languages intertwined through the ages. We can see the word's origins in several languages, including the Old English hlot, the Gothic hlauts, the Old High German hloz, and the Old French aloter. All referred to dividing something into groups, or “lots.” A "lot" refers to a group of things — stores refer to shipments of goods as being divided into “lots.” That idea of grouping will help you remember the meaning of allotment.
Vocabulary lists containing allotment
The Dawes Act
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 23–29, 2021
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Fallen Angels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Humphrys described working three part-time jobs while at school, including a morning paper round, being a messenger for a chemist and growing food in an allotment.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Fans who won a time slot in this drop but didn’t reach the ticket maximum will be automatically entered into subsequent ticket lotteries until they max out their ticket allotment.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
Roughly half the annual visa allotment goes to foreign students already in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
The century-old agreement requires the water released from Upper Basin dams for Arizona, Nevada and California to average at least 7.5 million acre-feet over any decade, plus an allotment for Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026
After a moment longer, he began to retrace his steps, keeping close to the bushes, until he came to the broken wire fence at the entrance to the allotment.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
